Impact Damage
by Tango Eight
Summary: When Tony and Gibbs are hurt, they have to rely on each other to stay alive until they are found.
1. Burning Bright

**Summary: When Tony and Gibbs are injured, they have to rely on each other to stay alive until they are found. **

**Impact Damage**

Special Agent Anthony (Tony) DiNozzo never knew what to expect when he woke up in the morning. He could wind up back home with a pizza watching some old, classic movie; or he could be running around in a grocery store at 10:30 pm on a Saturday evening with his boss trying to apprehend a very obviously guilty suspect in a murder investigation. Which involved a bomb that was delivered to the owner of the grocery store in the mail; it ended up killing his wife and destroying their home.

Tonight, that was exactly what he found himself doing. He was running amongst the canned soups and frozen dinners as Gibbs was running through the bread isle. They both met up at by the milk and orange juice, right next to the yogurt and cheese but, still, the suspect was nowhere to be found.

The only clue they had that let both men know their suspect was, indeed, running around the store evading them was the slapping of leather on linoleum as he ran away from them.

"Where the HELL is he?" Gibbs angrily whispered to his second in command, readjusting his grip on his weapon; Tony did the same.

He didn't answer..._slap…slap…slap…_

"On your six, boss." Tony said looking in the direction of where they had heard the footsteps.

Both NCIS agents started running towards the bakery where they could hear the assailant running. When they got close they split up; Tony headed towards the donut case as Gibbs went to the opposite side, by the produce.

Tony looked around the case and could see the man they had been chasing bent over a display rack of cookies that were shaped like different animals. He could see Gibbs give him their signal and they jumped out from behind their covers, pointing their guns at the man's heart.

"NCIS, hands where I can see them, NOW!" Gibbs yelled in his usual gruff tone. The man jumped and slowly turned towards Gibbs.

Tony started inching his way towards the man who had his back to Tony and had obviously not seen him. When he got only a few feet away he saw what the man had been working on.

Among the cookie platters there was a black and gray box with wires coming from one spot and leading to another. There was a key pad and a screen with six blocks, only the two last blocks showed numbers.

Tony recognized it immediately as a bomb…and according to the timer there was only eleven seconds before it exploded.

"Boss, there's a bomb with ten seconds on the clock!"

"It wasn't my fault; I was only trying to defuse it!" The man shouted.

"DiNozzo, RUN!" Gibbs yelled and started to charge at the man, he grabbed onto one of his arms as Tony grabbed onto other and they started to run back through the aisles towards the closest neon red 'Exit' sign.

Unfortunately, they weren't quick enough.

Halfway through the aisle with the canned soups and packages of spaghetti the bomb exploded and a burst of burning air and debris slammed into the three men and threw them through the air causing them to crash, unceremoniously, into the shelf, before depositing them onto the floor in an unconscious heap.

To Be Continued.

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Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS…: (


	2. Crimson Puddles

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**Impact Damage**

Tony felt his mind slam back into consciousness.

He tried to pry his eyes open but they were coated in dust. He felt his eye lids flutter as his eyelashes worked to remove the foreign debris. Finally, his eyes were cracked open enough for him to see the ceiling of the store; one of the lights was hanging by a wire, the wire had been severed and every couple of seconds sparks and pops would fly from the cut ends, almost like fireworks. Really, really dull fireworks. Tony thought to himself with a slight chuckle.

Tony moved his head slightly to the side and winced as his neck disagreed with the movement. He could tell that he was half-lying on one of the shelves which had been tipped over by the three of their bodies crashing into it. He had hit the shelf with the front of his body but at some point he had been flipped so that now he was lying on his back.

He moved his head again, more carefully this time, so that he was looking down at himself. He could tell that he was still half on top of the tipped over shelf. He'd been expecting that, what he wasn't expecting were the huge chunks of ceiling that were covering him across his abdomen, chest, and left shoulder from his neck to his elbow. He let his head fall back onto the debris-covered linoleum. He couldn't feel any pain and hoped that meant he wasn't injured. He felt dazed and numb, but there was no pain.

That was when he remembered he wasn't the only person who had crashed into the shelf during the explosion-Gibbs was there, too, and he might have actually gotten seriously injured.

Tony shifted so his head was titled to the left again but before he could see anything his vision got blurry and he instantly felt nauseous. He shrugged it off, metaphorically of course, more concerned with finding Gibbs and seeing if he was all right.

After a few convulsive swallows and rapid blinking, Tony's vision cleared. He could see the man who had been disarming the bomb a few feet away. The man was lying on his side, facing away from Tony. Tony could see a large puddle of blood forming under his head, he couldn't seem to make himself care about the condition of the man, he was too preoccupied trying to find out if Gibbs was even still alive.

Tony lifted his own head a few inches off of the ground. He could just barely see Gibbs over the man in between them. All Tony could tell was that Gibbs was lying on his stomach, his left arm at his side, the right above his head. Tony couldn't tell if he was even breathing.

"Boss," Tony tried to call out but it came out way to raspy and quiet for anyone to hear. He tried again but that only caused pain to finally flare up in his chest. He let out a shuddering breath as he tried to control the pain washing over him in waves.

Almost, seemingly, to sense that his senior field agent was in pain, Gibbs began the arduous task of returning to consciousness.

Tony was beginning to become light-headed as the pain in his chest didn't go away. In fact, new pains seemed to be awakening by the second, sending him farther and farther into the world of pain he was already in.

Gibbs was slowly able to peel his eyes open. Immediately he felt the pain that was coming from his right shoulder. He stayed still for a moment, trying to gain enough control over the pain to move, to assess his injuries. Finally, he started moving various parts of his body.

His feet and ankles felt fine, but when he tried to move his right knee he immediately felt sharp, shooting pain rushing up and down his leg. He continued on with his self-examination, knowing he needed to be aware of his own condition before he could help anyone else, namely, his senior field agent.

By the time he was done he knew that he had injured his right knee and shoulder, broken at least one of his ribs and maybe cracked a few more, and had at least a minor concussion.

Gibbs slowly rolled onto his left side, careful not to jostle the more injured side of his body too much, and began to lift himself into a sitting position. As soon as he was slightly more vertical he was immediately hit my intense vertigo. He instinctively reached out with his hands to steady himself on the floor, forgetting all about his injured shoulder. When the arm made contact he tried to stifle a shout of pain but he couldn't stop the groan that escaped.

"Boss," He heard from a few feet away. He instantly recognized the voice as Tony's. He looked over to where he had heard the voice and saw Tony, lying on his back with ceiling debris covering most of his body. Tony was staring at him with worry clouding his already glazed, green eyes. His face was pale and he could see the sweat on his forehead and upper lip. Tony looked bad.

Gibbs, using only his left arm and leg, was able to maneuver himself so he could crawl over to his injured agent. It took him several, pain-staking moments but he finally made it over to Tony.

"Hey, DiNozzo, are ya with me?" Gibbs asked. It took Tony longer than Gibbs would have liked before his eyes finally focused on Gibbs'. One of his pupils was obviously bigger than the other, concussion, Gibbs thought.

"DiNozzo, can you hear me?" Gibbs asked again, getting increasingly more worried the longer it took Tony to reply.

"You okay?" Tony asked finally, looking at the arm that Gibbs was holding against his body.

"I'll live." Gibbs said, relieved that Tony had finally answered him. "What about you, DiNozzo, where are you hurt?"

"Head," Tony answered, after having to think for a moment.

"Anywhere else?" Gibbs asked, knowing Tony was probably hiding something. Gibbs felt the world tip again and put his left hand down to steady himself. His hand, however, slipped on the floor. Gibbs looked down at his hand, which was on the floor near Tony's side; he raised his hand so he could look at it, to see what had caused it to slip. He squinted in the dim light at his hand before his eyes widened in shock.

"What is it, boss?" Tony asked, worried that Gibbs was hurt worse than he had let on.

"Blood," Gibbs replied, staring back down at Tony's side, "a lot of it."

**To Be Continued.**

**Please review! =D**

**I just wanted to thank everybody who reviewed the first chapter, put it on their favorite story or story alert list, put me on their favorite author or author alert list, or just read the first chapter. I can't tell you how much it means to me! Also, I just wanted to thank everybody who welcomed me back to writing so warmly. It really means a lot that people are happy I am writing again. That makes it all worth it! Thank you so much!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS, I do not claim to own NCIS or any of its character, in fact, I **_**disclaim**_** that I own NCIS or any of its characters!**


	3. Nothing Half Way

**Special Thanks: Meilea2010, tiffaroolou, WinglessBird, Sparkiebunny, louise, Deluded Visions, keembur, mstictac, diana teo, tansysam, NickTonyK, ILU Greg, Tiva-McAbby4Life, melraemorgan, scousemuz1k, Rivan Warrioress, BnBfanatic, julie250**

**Impact Damage**

Gibbs looked down at his hand, which was on the floor near Tony's side; he raised his hand so he could look at it, to see what had caused it to slip. He squinted in the dim light at his hand before his eyes widened in shock.

"What is it, boss?" Tony asked, worried that Gibbs was hurt worse than he had let on.

"Blood," Gibbs replied, staring back down at Tony's side, "a lot of it."

"Wh-What?" Tony asked, staring at Gibbs' hand and the crimson that stained it.

"You're bleeding, I need to get this debris off of you to see how badly you're hurt." Gibbs explained to Tony.

Tony closed his eyes; a slight grimace crossed his face, as Gibbs put a hand on his shoulder in a show of comfort. Tony didn't doubt that he was bleeding; his stomach and chest were on fire. He could feel his shirt becoming saturated as the vital liquid spilled from unknown wounds.

"Hey, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, giving his shoulder a careful shake. Tony opened his eyes and looked at his boss, who, in every sense of the word, was like a father to him. More of a father than his actual one had ever been.

"I've got ya, all right." Gibbs looked at Tony's face and really wanted to hurt whoever had set-up the bomb. Tony looked miserable. Gibbs could tell he was pale and sweating even under the blood and soot, he was obviously on his way to shock. He had a cut on his forehead, near the hairline and to the right. It was bleeding steadily and because of how Tony was lying it was running into his hair, matting it down in the front. His nose was also bleeding but it looked to be slowing. What really made Gibbs mad at whoever set-up the bomb was the pain in Tony's hazel eyes. Neither man knew what Tony's injuries were but it was pretty obvious they were bad.

"Wh-what about the oth-other guy?" Tony asked, his breathes catching making his speech stuttered. Tony looked over at the man who had claimed he was only trying to defuse the bomb. Gibbs looked at the man too; he hadn't even remembered he was there. He gave Tony's shoulder a final squeeze before moving away to check on the man who still hadn't moved.

It took a few minutes for Gibbs to move over to the downed man, his own injuries causing his agility to become seriously compromised. He finally, painfully, made his way the few feet he pressed two fingers to the man's jugular. Almost immediately he felt a slightly fast, but not dangerously so, beat pulse against his fingers. That was enough for Gibbs so he started making his way towards his agent.

Tony's eyes were closed when Gibbs got back. Gibbs' gut clenched painfully with worry.

"Tony? Tony! Wake up!" Gibbs said shaking Tony's shoulder. Tony's head lolled to the side, his breathing staccato.

"Damn it!" Gibbs exclaimed; he knew that he needed to get all of the stuff that was on top of Tony off of him and fast. He needed to know what they were dealing with.

Keeping his right arm close to his body, Gibbs put his left hand under the top chunk of ceiling. With strength he didn't even know he had, Gibbs slowly lifted the debris up and slid it across the floor until it was past Tony's body before letting it fall back to the ground.

As it hit the floor it kicked up all the dust on the floor. The cloud surrounded Tony's head and he immediately began to cough, however, the ceiling across his chest and abdomen was severely compromising his ability to breathe so the coughing was coming out strained and painful sounding.

Gibbs positioned his hand under the second portion of ceiling and pushed without lifting it up as much as he had with the first. Gibbs realized that very fast when Tony screamed out in pain. Acting quickly and more carefully as to not cause that amount of pain again, Gibbs pushed the last hunk of ceiling off Tony with both hands this time. Gibbs could feel the ball and socket joint in his shoulder separate further, the two parts scraped against each other, painfully, but Gibbs ignored it. Finally, the final piece of ceiling crashed to the floor and off Tony's body.

Gibbs swept a critical eye over his agent's body. He didn't see very much external damage, internal was still a concern, though, but there was a huge amount of blood. It was dim in the ruined grocery store but Gibbs wasn't blind in the dark. He easily found the source of the scary amount of blood and Tony's pain.

Damn it, Gibbs thought, as he began putting pressure around the piece of pipe Tony was impaled on through his stomach.

**To Be Continued.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! THANK YOU! =D **

**Disclaimer: NCIS and its characters are not mine and I make no money on my stories. I honestly claim no ownership of anything I just ask that people not steal my ideas. I'm a little bit overprotective of them…I mean, they're my babies! =D**


	4. Requiem for a Dream

**Special Thanks: Sparkiebunny, anonymous, nexis44, WinglessBird, AmyH, melraemorgan, CriminalMindsLove1, Meilea2010, keembur, louise, mbj, xenascully, amblue36, tansysam, ILU Greg, NickTonyK, scousemuz1k, Jebeth, Jonte, diana teo, Tiva-McAbby4Life, toilmama, Have Your 6, BuckeyeGirl100000, tiffaroolou, combatcrazy, DarkRose4u, julie250, pottyandweezlbe89, Druuu **

**JTR300- I'm sorry if I offended you, the writers of NCIS, or anyone. I can assure you it was completely inadvertent.**

**Impact Damage**

The pipe had entered clean through Tony's back and then came up to stick grotesquely out of the side of his abdomen. Gibbs was painfully aware of how much internal damage the pipe could be causing in his senior field agent's body.

Blood spilled out of his fingers in streams at an alarming rate which surprised Gibbs because usually you could count on impaled objects staunching the flow of blood to a less pressing amount. This didn't seem to be the case for Tony, but that, however, didn't surprise Gibbs because DiNozzo never did anything half-way.

"DiNozzo, ya gotta wake up!" Gibbs said to the injured man under his hands. "Come on, DiNozzo, no sleeping on the job."

True to his loyal "Saint Bernard" nature, Tony could never ignore a direct order from his boss so, almost immediately, Tony began to stir.

"Umf…"

The small, pained noise brought Gibbs' attention to Tony's face. It was clear his agent was still very much asunder from consciousness.

"That's it, DiNozzo. You're stronger than this." Gibbs coached as Tony's eyes finally fluttered open.

"B-boss?"

"I gotcha," Gibbs answered, continuing the pressure around the pipe. The pain receptors in Tony's brain apparently started to work again because Tony couldn't hold the small whimpers of pain, much to his chagrin.

"You're gonna be all right," Gibbs soothed, "Someone will come."

OoOoOoO

Special Agent Timothy McGee hated having to work late.

Working late meant that instead of being able to work on his novel, he was stuck at his desk, in the dark bull-pen, staring at his computer screen filling out paperwork.

McGee looked over to his female co-worker, Mossad Liaison Officer Ziva David. Ziva was furiously typing, McGee almost felt bad for the little pieces of plastic stuck to the board.

They weren't supposed to be there at, McGee checked his watch, 10:39 p.m. on a Saturday, but they had the weekend shift. McGee's thoughts went, almost immediately, to Paula Cassidy's team. They had covered for them one weekend, the three team members were killed off by two different bombs that weekend. It was one of the greatest tragedies NCIS had faced since McGee had been working there.

"_It could be us every single day of the week; sometimes it has been…" _

Gibbs had been talking to Tony but McGee overheard. Now, at, he checked his watch again, 10:40 p.m., McGee was starting to get a bad feeling.

OoOoOoO

Abigail (Abby) Sciuto was in her high-tech forensics lab, which is where she had been for the last eighteen hours. Gibbs and Tony had been called away and even though only their team had to stay, she always found that it was easier to deal with the danger her friends were facing if she was working.

She had been waiting for a finger print confirmation, which was taking longer than normal, for Agent Beasley's case, when she started to doze off at her desk.

_She opened her eyes to find that she was standing in what looked like a grocery store only her lab equipment was on the shelves and her coffin-bed was in the middle of the isle. _

'_Ok, dream." Abby whispered to herself. _

_Abby started walking down the aisle. She could feel something soft in her hands and when she looked down she was holding Bert, her farting, stuffed animal Hippopotamus. She got to the end of the aisle and put the stuffed animal down by one of the refrigerator cases; inside the case were bags of blood, like the ones you would find at a Blood Bank or in a hospital. The type written across the bags was 'A positive'. _

'_Tony's blood type,' Abby said to herself. She was starting to get freaked out; this was like her dream before Kate died. _

_When she turned the corner so she was facing down another aisle, she froze, too terrified to keep moving. This aisle was destroyed from what looked like an explosion. The shelf was tipped over and food items were strewn everywhere, along with what looked like large chunks of the ceiling. _

_What really freaked her out was what she saw amongst the rubble. Three mannequins were positioned within the destruction. One was lying on the ground with a red puddle forming under his head; one was kneeling down next to the third that was lying on the ground with a piece of pipe sticking out of his side. What terrified Abby the most was the fact that the one that was kneeling and the one impaled on the pipe were wearing NCIS jackets._

Abby awoke with a start, crying like she only did when something bad was going to happen. She picked up her cell phone and speed dialed Gibbs' number. It rang four times before going to voicemail, Gibbs never let her go to voicemail. If he wasn't picking up his phone, something was wrong. After going to Tony's voicemail, too, Abby couldn't take it anymore. She ran out of her lab and up the stairs to the bull-pen.

Tony and Gibbs were in trouble, and Abby wasn't going to let any more of her agent friends die.

**To Be Continued. **

**A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait. Real life came at me hard the last couple of months. Thank you so much to everybody who reviewed, I was blown away by the response to this story. I hope I didn't ruin everybody's interest in it by not updating in a while…**


	5. The Second Explosion

Abby flew up the stairs with more speed than should be possible with her four inch platform boots.

When she ran into the bullpen she was surprised to find McGee and Ziva standing in front of the main computer, talking quietly to one another.

"I think Tony and Gibbs are in trouble." Abby half-screamed at the two agents.

Abby had to laugh when McGee jumped three feet off the ground in surprise.

"Abby, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" McGee asked, breathing heavily.

"No, of course not," Abby answered innocently. "But I have a really, really, _really_ bad feeling, you know."

"We do too," Ziva said, taking a step forward.

"We're trying to locate them using the GPS tracking devices in their cell phones. The only problem is we're having some trouble." McGee explained.

"We believe their cell phones may have been destroyed." Ziva continued.

"Then it's a good thing I'm a forensic scientist extraordinaire." Abby said with a smile.

OoOoOoO

Tony felt claustrophobic.

The pipe was keeping him securely in place, which meant that even the smallest movement sent lightning bolts of pain shooting through his entire body. That meant that he couldn't move…at all.

Plus, the fact that Gibbs was acting nice probably meant he was dying. Tony didn't want to think about that, though.

He couldn't see Gibbs anymore, he knew his boss was trying to find a way out or he was trying to call for help; either way Tony was feeling colder and colder and more alone than ever.

Gibbs was trying to get a signal on his cell. However, he must have landed on it during the explosion because there was a huge crack down the screen. Smaller cracks stretched out in all directions from the central crack. When he pushed the power button the screen flickered before zapping off. Gibbs had always been known for his persistence, though, so after three more tries the phone actually stayed on-or at least stayed lit.

Now he was limping down the aisle holding the phone up with his left hand, trying to get a signal. After several minutes, he heard a pained groan coming from his senior field agent. It didn't take as long to get back as it had to leave.

Tony looked worse. The blood on his face stood out in horrible contrast to his paleness. His green eyes were dull and glazed. His breathing was harsh and loud. Little pain-filled sounds escaped his defenses, sending shivers down Gibbs' spine.

Gibbs looked down at Tony's injury. Tony's hands were pressed around the pipe, his knuckles white from the exertion.

"Geh-Get it…ah-out," Tony stammered, tears of pain clouding his eyes, making them unusually shiny clearly showing the agony he was in.

"I can't, DiNozzo, I don't want you bleeding out on me." The kid was breaking Gibbs' heart but he couldn't watch Tony bleed to death.

Tony knew Gibbs was right. He just hurt so damn much that he honestly didn't care. He wanted the foreign object out of his body-even if it meant more blood loss.

"Weh-we're not get-getting outta he-here, are we boh-boss?" Tony asked his voice stuttering as he tried to control the pain. Gibbs could see his agent, his friend, fading before his steely blue eyes. He was going to get Tony out of this grocery store if it was the last thing he ever did. Gibbs, however, knew that he could talk until he was blue telling Tony they would get out of this, but only one thing ever seemed to get his point across.

Tony felt the tap on the top of his head. He couldn't help but smile slightly at the familiar confirmation that everything would be all right.

"Got-Gotcha, boh-boss."

Suddenly Gibbs heard laughter coming from behind him. His and Tony's heads snapped in that direction in unison. The man they'd come to apprehend was staring at them, his head a bloody mess, his face twisted into an expression of complete insanity.

"That wasn't the only bomb." The man said between bursts of psychotic laughter.

"What the HELL does that mean?" If looks could kill then the glare Gibbs was giving the man would have been much more deadly than two bombs.

"I mean, there's another bomb."

Gibbs heart slammed in his chest as he realized the implications of what this psychopath was saying. Tony was stuck to the floor and another bomb was going to go off. Also, he had lied when he said he was only trying to defuse the first bomb.

Bubbling laughter rippled from the man's lips as he fell onto his back, arms outstretched.

Gibbs turned back to Tony, their eyes met for one second and a silent acknowledgement was made between the two. They both knew what they needed to do.

"You ready?" Gibbs asked standing up and reaching down with his hands, Tony's breathing sped up.

"No, but d-do it." Tony replied grabbing on with his own hands, bracing himself for what was to come.

As Gibbs pulled Tony off the pipe, the scream of pain drowned out the hysterical laughter but was drowned out by the second explosion of the evening.

Gibbs had just gotten Tony off the pipe when he felt something solid connect with his head and his world was thrown into darkness.

To Be Continued.

I am so sorry for the short chapter and the long wait but I wanted to give you something. The next chapter will be sooner, I promise! Please review! =D

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS and no profit is being made.


	6. Rescue Mission

Gibbs whole body was on fire.

When his battered brain finally allowed his mind to return to consciousness, all he was aware of was the burning in his chest and the heaviness of his head.

Gibbs was lying on his left side. His left arm was splayed on the ground in front of him, the circulation getting cut off at his shoulder because of his body weight. His right arm was bent behind his back and his neck was craned at an uncomfortable angel. His chest was heaving as his lungs tried to take in oxygen through the dust and debris.

Gibbs was trying to open his eyes but they seemed glued shut. When he finally managed to crack them open; it took a moment, but then he realized what he was looking at.

Tony.

Tony was lying, practically in the fetal position, facing Gibbs. His eyes were screwed tightly shut and sweat made small tracks down his face, overly-visible amongst the dirt and blood.

Blood matted Tony's hair and covered half of his face. His body was protectively curled around the bleeding wound in his side. His knees were slightly bent towards his chest and both of his hands were pressing into his body, trying to keep the vital liquid from leaking out. His efforts were futile as blood seeped through his fingers to collect in a large puddle under his shaking body.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs croaked, brokenly. He cleared his throat before trying again, this time it came out more clearly. "Tony!"

Tony's eyes opened to reveal slivers of jade. "B-Boss…"

Concern filled Gibbs' slightly glassy eyes as Tony's breathes hitched; the struggle his agent was going through obvious.

Gibbs tried to pull himself but pain erupted in his body keeping him on the ground as well.

"Just hang on," Gibbs whispered to Tony, "We're gonna make it out of this, I promise."

A lone tear streaked down Tony's face, his pain-filled gaze bore into Gibbs. Tony usually kept pain hidden behind a mask of movie references and jokes but at that moment, Gibbs could see everything Tony was feeling. He winced at the raw pain, the fear, the hopelessness he saw in DiNozzo's eyes.

Tony didn't believe him. He knew he was dying and if nobody came soon it would be too late for him.

Gibbs reached a shaking hand out and grabbed onto Tony's arm. He could feel the tremors racking his body; he could see the uneven rise and fall of his chest, the blood streaming out from between his fingers. Gibbs could see Tony struggling just to stay alive.

"Just hold on," Gibbs whispered, "Stay with me."

Gibbs continued to watch, helplessly, as Tony's life and death battle continued. A small stream of blood made its way passed Tony's lips, sliding down the side of his face and neck.

"Stay with me," Gibbs repeated.

Gibbs watched as Tony's face slackened, his hand fell away from his side, and his head rolled on the floor so that even though he was lying on his side his forehead was resting against the ground.

Gibbs watched as the pool of blood grew around his grievously injured senior field agent, his number two, his friend, and although he thought it every day but would never say it out loud-his 'son'.

Gray dots danced across his vision as the world around him shrunk so that all he could see was Tony.

He never heard the shouts as the rescue crew found the wounded NCIS agents, he never heard their reassurances that everything would be okay, he never heard any of this as the world faded to black and oblivion took hold.

To Be Continued.

Please review, even though my updates are sporadic at best. =)


	7. Slipping Away

He was slipping away. That's what it felt like.

Tony's eyes fluttered as he tried to regain consciousness. Finally, he was able to blink them open, his pupils taking several seconds to adjust.

He could hear voices around him but they sounded far away and muffled like he had cotton in his ears.

He tried to shift his body to see who was there but pain stopped him from moving more than a couple centimeters.

"Unnn," The noise came from deep in his throat before he could stop it.

"Sir?" Tony could just make out a blurry shape hovering above him. "Sir, can you hear me?" Tony blinked, trying to clear his vision.

"G'bbs," Tony breathed out, his eyes closing of their own accord.

"Sir, I need you to stay with me." The shape insisted. Tony's eyes opened a crack; he was too tired to try to see who was talking to him so he just stared at the ground.

"Sir, you're going into shock, I need to turn you onto your back." Tony merely blinked in response, his chest shuttering. He felt hands grab onto his shoulders before pain erupted throughout his entire body. His eyes slammed shut and he couldn't help but groan as the intense pain flared. When he opened his eyes again, he was staring at the ceiling.

He could feel pressure on his abdomen and a hand on his shoulder. He felt his legs raised and then placed on something hard, he felt fingers pressing into the side of his neck.

Tony felt his chest spasm and his body reacted by coughing harshly. A metallic substance slid up his throat.

"G'bsss…" Tony slurred, needing the reassurance from his boss that he wouldn't die; needing the reassurance that Gibbs wasn't dying himself.

"Don't try to speak." Came the gentle reply from the blurry shape, his eyes were clearing and he could just make out an EMT uniform.

It was getting harder and harder to breath. The coppery taste in his mouth was making him nauseous.

A plastic mask was placed over his mouth and nose and immediately he felt the cool rush of air. Fingers pressed into his neck again.

Tony could still feel the blood leaving his body from his wound. It was an odd, pulsing sensation that left him feeling cold and disembodied.

The pain hit again, this time stronger than ever before. Tony felt his whole body tense up and he gasped. The pressure on his stomach increased as the light faded from Tony's eyes.

Michelle Rening was on her second shift when they got the call; a grocery store explosion with Federal Agents inside with probable injuries. But then again, of course there were injuries when people were involved in explosions, Michelle thought.

It should have been easy for the Fire Department to get inside the building but during the explosion a large section of pipe from the ceiling got caught on the inside of the door, effectively keeping rescue away from the victims.

After half an hour, the Fire Department finally got through; she just hoped it wasn't too late for the agents.

Since she was a paramedic and there were possible injuries, she was one of the first to enter the building after the fire crew.

Michelle couldn't believe the damage. It was obvious the damage wasn't caused by fire, which meant there had to have been quite the shockwave.

Still the air was thick, the lights dim, and the shelves and products that had lined them destroyed. Random lights flickered as severed wiring sparked, she couldn't believe anyone could survive this.

Finally they made it to the injured men. Two were lying on the ground, several feet apart, facing each other. Another man was further away. The two facing each other had NCIS jackets on and she went to them first.

As she got closer she noticed the man with grey hair was gripping the younger man's arm, his own closing the gap between them. She felt tears well in her eyes.

She leaned down next to the older man and checked his pulse, it was fast but steady. She looked at the younger man about to move to check his pulse when she noticed the blood beneath him.

She rose to her feet and circled around to the bloody agent. She looked at his back and noticed the gaping hole in his jacket, she didn't want to move him for fear of a spinal injury so she pressed her hands on various parts of his abdomen, periodically bring her hands in front of her face to check for blood.

It didn't take long before she felt the wetness without even having to see the color. An identical wound was on the front of the man's torso. She looked around the surrounding area and saw what had caused such a grotesque injury. There was a bloody piece of pipe sticking up from the floor only a few feet away. She shuttered at the pain he must have felt getting off the pipe.

Bill Kailey, her partner for the past five years, ran to her side, dropping their bag of medical supplies within easy reaching distance. Kyle Seabring, the newest addition to their team dropped to his knees next to the older agent.

"Check the other man." Bill told Kyle, pointing to the third injured man. Kyle turned around and pressed two of his fingers into the man's neck. After a few seconds he turned around and shook his head, the man was dead.

Bill nodded, turning back towards Michelle.

"Unnn…" The noise came from beneath her so Michelle cast her eyes down to her patient who was now, amazingly, conscious.

"Sir?" Michelle asked, shocked this seriously injured man was still alive let alone awake. "Sir, can you hear me?"

"G'bsss…" The man breathed, his voice sounding like his vocal cords had gone through a shredder.

"Sir, I need you to stay with me." Michelle told him as his eyes slipped shut. The bleary eyes opened again, staring lifelessly at the floor. Shock was rapidly setting in.

"Sir, you're going into shock, I need to turn you onto your back." The only response was an ever weakening blink. The man would stare and then his eyelids would slide close as if his body was giving up the battle. She could tell this agent was a fighter because a few seconds later they would open again.

Michelle sometimes hated her job. She hated having to see obviously strong, young people so vulnerable and in so much pain. She hated having to cause more in order to help them.

Bill was back, after calling in the dead body, and helped her move the NCIS agent onto his back. The man groaned, his eyes tightly shut against the pain they were inadvertently inflicting. Michelle took two pieces of gauze. He quickly placed one under his back for that wound and put the other over the matching one in his abdomen and pressed down. She needed to stop the bleeding or there would be two dead bodies to call in and she didn't even want to think about that.

Bill found a piece of debris that was big enough so he raised the injured man's legs and placed them on it.

Michelle pressed her fingers into the man's neck and could barely feel a pulse.

Suddenly her patient was coughing up blood; she lifted his shoulders slightly so he could more easily breathe. The coughing fit lasted only about ten seconds and then she wiped the blood from his lips with another piece of gauze.

"G'bsss…" came the slurred, scared voice of the dying man.

"Don't try to speak." Michelle said, unsuccessfully trying to keep the tears at bay so she could do her job and save his life. It wasn't looking good, though.

A few feet away the older NCIS agent was being placed on a gurney but was coming to. Asking for 'DiNozzo' who Michelle assumed was her own patient. Kyle was trying to calm him but didn't seem to be having very much luck.

Michelle looked back down at 'DiNozzo' and noticed signs that he wasn't getting enough oxygen. She placed an oxygen mask on his face and turned it on so the maximum amount of oxygen was being given to the struggling agent.

Another paramedic brought a portable heart monitor and placed it beside Michelle who quickly hooked up her patient to it and turned it on.

"BP is low; Pulse ox is 82 even with the mask. We're going to have to intubate." Michelle rattled off to Bill who was getting the tube ready.

Michelle was checking DiNozzo's wound when she felt his whole body tense. The heart monitor was blaring warning signs before his body fell limply to the ground, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling before a single tone cut through the air like a knife.

To Be Continued


	8. Four Words For Surviving

Thank you so much for all the awesome, amazing reviews! They really mean a lot to me!

Also, I don't have a set time this story took place but it was before season ten (for obvious reasons at the end).

Also, I feel like I failed everyone with the end of this story. I'm really sorry about that. I know for sure now that my life is far too busy and chaotic for multi-chapter stories so for a little while I am only going to write one-shots. Thanks for being so supportive!

**Final Chapter: Four Words for Survival**

Tony found himself in darkness.

Conscious awareness came before actual consciousness as he felt himself floating. It wasn't a weightless and heavy at the same time, as if two forces were pulling him in opposite directions.

Tony didn't know where he was, what was happening, or what had happened? However, there was no pain, no damage, no explosion…no explosion? No…Gibbs?

Then it all came rushing back, the chase in the grocery store, the explosion, the pipe that had impaled him through his side, Gibbs pulling him off the pipe as another explosion rocked the building around them, and the pain-that was what Tony remembered the most. And Gibbs, who had been injured as well because come on, if a building explodes around you, you are not getting away without a scratch. It was damn lucky he was even alive.

But where was Gibbs now? And where was he now? And what was going on because this couldn't be heaven, it was too dark for that and it couldn't be hell, because it was too painless for that.

Tony could feel his heart beating faster and his breathing quickening.

"_Well, I guess that confirms I'm not dead." _Tony thought to himself, relieved.

A burning sensation started building in his body, increasing as the darkness ebbed away slowly; a bright light replacing the comforting blackness. His other senses starting waking up as well; a persistent beeping, a sickly clean smell, and the burning which was nagging him for his attention more and more as the seconds ticked by.

Gibbs was watching his senior field agent from a wheelchair by his bed. His own pain a dull ache as the drugs worked their way through his system. It had been twelve hours since he had woken up, immediately asking if Tony was alive. It was only three hours ago that they'd let him get out of bed. The nurses had tried to get him back to his own room, but he refused and they didn't push it too hard.

What had happened in the store was still too fresh. When he'd woken up on the stretcher, Tony was on the brink of death, it was so plainly obvious. Then DiNozzo's heart monitor flat lined. Gibbs truly thought he'd lost his best agent. It took three shocks with the defibrillator to get a rhythm back and then the medics were moving so fast, he hadn't been able to see Tony again until three hours ago and there was no way he was leaving until Tony woke up.

Gibbs was watching Tony's face carefully when he noticed it, a slight twitch, but it was enough. Gibbs pushed himself closer to the bed, watching for more signs that Tony was waking up. In only a few moments, Tony's eyes fluttered.

"DiNozzo?" Gibbs said, barely above a whisper. It seemed like a challenge but finally his eyes blinked open and stayed that way.

"Tony, are you with me?" It took a few seconds but Tony's gaze shifted so that he was staring directly at Gibbs.

"I..I'm with ya, b-boss." Tony stammered his voice rough from the breathing tube used during the surgery to save his life.

Gibbs finally relaxed, leaning back in the chair and sighing with relief. Gibbs could see Tony's eyes threatening to close again. He knew his agent needed to get as much rest as possible and technically so did he.

"Get some rest, DiNozzo." Tony nodded and yawned, his eyes already drooping. Gibbs started backing away from the bed, finally willing to go to his own.

Tony looked up at Gibbs with bleary, green eyes. "Hey Gibbs," He said and Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

"What is it, DiNozzo?"

"W-What's a four letter word …for surviving two explosions… in a row?"

"Luck," Gibbs answered immediately, he'd have to remember that one.

**The End**

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Also, sorry, this chapter was not proofread! All mistakes are just me being stupid!


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